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Good day, Community Group Leaders! Attached is your Week #9 group material, also available at www.mccag.org by clicking on RESOURCES > COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
• Don’t forget about BLESS RICHMOND -‐ a gathering of Richmond area congregations to pray, give thanks and feed the hungry of Richmond. This citywide prayer meeting will take place Saturday, November 21st, 6PM at U-‐Turn Sports Performance Academy, 2101 Maywill Street, Richmond. Please encourage your group to arrive around 5:30 pm in order to park, drop off canned foods, and find a good seat before the event begins. Nearly two-‐thousand people participate. Each person attending is asked to bring some nonperishable food items for the Central Virginia Food Bank (tuna and peanut butter are especially useful).
• Thank you for strongly considering continuing on with your group, even if only occasionally over the holidays. Relationships take time and energy to develop but they certainly are worth the effort. Please let me know your group’s plans about continuing by Sunday, Nov. 22nd (last Sunday in VOICE series). We have wonderful group resources available for you to utilize after the series, including www.RightNowTraining.org and the ever-‐growing list of group resources available on your resource page at our website, including Truth Search. I look forward to speaking personally with you about what’s next for your group.
Sincerely His and yours, Pastor Dwayne WEEK#9 BULLETIN INSERT
Haggai was the voice to a stuck people. Three symptoms of stuck people:
1. Disinterest in God’s Will • Choosing my wants over God’s will results in an unsatisfying life.
2. Discouragement with God’s Plan
• Pursuing my expectations rather than God’s revelation sets me up for disappointment. 3. Dissatisfaction with God’s Pace
• Expecting overnight change will frustrate and undermine me.
God counsels stuck people to:
Reject excuses Restore priorities Get involved Receive God’s empowerment
WELCOME/SNACKS 20 minutes
MISSION MOMENT 10 minutes Finalize your group mission/outreach plans. Please take pictures & report on your outreach so I can celebrate with you!
OPEN 10 minutes
1. What is one household “project” that you began a long time ago but remains unfinished? Briefly describe what is holding back its completion?
2. Briefly tell the group about a time when you got “stuck” somewhere or in some awkward circumstance. How did you finally free yourself?
3. Tell about a time when you were tempted to give up on something just before you succeeded.
DISCUSS 25-‐35 minutes
1. Haggai’s prophecies were given to people who knew exactly what God wanted them to do, but who had failed to pursue it for 14 years. What are some things that God has made clear to you, personally, that He wants you to do? (This question is about specific, unique assignments you’ve been given, such as go on a missions trip to a specific place, help an elderly neighbor with her yard work, write a book, etc.)
What are some specific things that God has made clear that He wants ALL OF US to do? (God calls every follower of Christ to disciple someone else; to be a Godly spouse or parent as applicable; obey His commands; to be kind & compassionate to others; to give the first 10th of all income to the church; etc.)
2. What are the distractions in your life that most often prevent you from accomplishing the above?
Would you say that these distractions truly prevent you from accomplishing God’s will or do they simply interest you more than what God desires?
3. Have you ever experienced a time when living selfishly ended up being unsatisfying? Explain. What did Jesus mean in Matthew 6:31-‐33 when He advised His followers to seek “God’s kingdom” first? What would be the result of such living? (The Living Bible says it this way: God will give you everything you need if you “give God first place in your life and live as he wants you to”.)
4. On Sunday we were warned to not expect overnight change in our lives when we finally adjust our pursuits to line up with God’s will. Share with the group areas of positive growth that you see in your life over the past 6 months or year. (Take time to affirm one another over these areas. If someone has difficulty recognizing growth, perhaps someone else in the group can highlight improvement/momentum that they’ve noticed since the group began meeting together.)
11/15/2015 HAGGAI
LEADERSHIP TIPS: Always prayerfully choose from the questions in each section of the material.
5. The people of Judea may have found it difficult to believe God’s promise that the glory of the new Temple they were struggling to build would far surpass the glory of Solomon’s elaborate Temple. How easy or difficult do you find it to believe that God can (and will) receive great glory through your life if you consistently obey Him? Why do you find it so? (Help people see that we can never exhaust God’s love and grace. Nothing anyone has done can disqualify him/her from God’s redemptive power.)
GROUP RESPONSE & PRAYER 10-‐15 minutes
1. What is one area in your life in which you are disobeying God (by what you are doing or not doing)? (Pause; don’t be afraid of the silence. Let the Holy Spirit do his internal work.)
What might be an actual “first step” for you to take in order to create momentum in this area?
(After everyone has shared, break into smaller groups and be certain everyone’s response is covered in prayer.)
2. If #1 above seems a bit too “in your face” for your group (pray about it again). If it still seems too direct, consider letting group members go on their own for 10 minutes to complete the “IT’S YOUR MOVE” exercise. Then rejoin the group and continue with #3 or #4 below to conclude the meeting.
3. Is there an area in your life about which you are deeply discouraged because your previous attempts to change have yielded little results? (Have the group pray for encouragement for each individual and for God’s insight into what next step to take.)
4. Does anyone simply feel powerless to take a step forward? If yes, would you be willing for our group to pray for you to receive God’s empowerment to get going? (Consider using a “hot seat” in the center of the room and surrounding that person for prayer ministry.) At just the right moment, you may wish to speak this over those who respond…
God’s message to Zerubbabel through the Prophet Zechariah is God’s same message to you: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.” Zechariah 4:6 Living Bible (TLB)
LEADERSHIP TIP: Response times should focus on prayer and mutual encouragement. This is NOT time to give advice; that can come later.
Week #9 – ORANGE Resources for Group Leaders and Parents REBUILDING THE TEMPLE
MATERIALS NEEDED: A copy of the 2-‐page Temple template (cardstock copies available at the Welcome Desk in the GF) Crayons or markers Glue sticks or transparent tape Gold glitter (optional)
Instructions: 1. Provide the 2-‐page Temple template for each child. (Template is
found on the next two pages.)
2. Invite the children to color the template BEFORE cutting it out.
3. Have the children cut out the template.
4. Assemble the temple by adding glue or tape to the side tabs.
* Your kids can use gold glitter glue to decorate the columns, doors and side panels IF you are a risk taker!
While the children color and build, discuss the following:
Encourage the children as they “build” (color and assemble) the Temple like the people of Haggai’s day did. Talk about how difficult it must have been for them to build while their enemies were trying to discourage them. Next, relate how the people gave up on building the Temple for 14 years until God sent the Prophet Haggai to encourage them to start again and to finish what God had sent them to do. ASK: Have you ever started a project (like cleaning up your room or washing the dishes) and gotten so tired or sidetracked that you stopped right in the middle of it? (responses) When you stopped, were you obeying or disobeying the one who gave you the task? (disobeying – because even delayed obedience is actually disobedience) God wants you to be the type of person who does wise things and stays with it until the task is completed! God will help you have the strength to do this if you pray and ask Him to do so.
THE TEMPLE PUZZLE
MATERIALS NEEDED: Copies as desired of the Temple Puzzle (card stock available at Welcome
Desk in the Grand Foyer).
Instructions: Utilize the discussion material as described in the above activity as the children put the puzzle together. Note: You may wish to provide a copy for each child or plan to have several children working together on one puzzle.
© Crafting The W
ord Of G
od
© Crafting The W
ord Of G
od
THE TEMPLE PUZZLE
© Crafting The Word Of God
TELLING HAGGAI’S STORY
Today, we will learn about the prophet Haggai who encouraged the people sent from Babylon to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. 70 years after Daniel and God’s people were taken to Babylon, King Cyrus agreed to allow Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to return to Jerusalem with many people to rebuild God’s temple. But, after 16 years, the temple was still not completed because they chose to make improvements on their own homes instead. God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage them to put God first and finish the temple. IN THE WORD Let’s focus on Haggai’s warning, choice, and promise from God.
• Let’s begin by reading Haggai’s WARNING from God to the people of Jerusalem in Haggai 1:7-‐9.
• God encouraged the people with the CHOICE found in Haggai 2:4 (read).
• With the help of God’s Spirit, the people chose to put God first and build His temple right away. But they were sad when they noticed the temple would not be as big as the last one. Some people were worried it would not be as good. Check out God’s PROMISE about the new temple in Haggai 2:9.
ASK 1. Why did God send Haggai to the people who had stopped rebuilding God’s temple? (Children
respond.) They were choosing to do things they wanted to do instead of what God wanted them to do.
2. What do you think it means to “give careful thought to your ways”? (Children respond.) Sometimes we do things without thinking about the choices we are making. Some people do things because others are doing it. Sometimes we focus our thoughts and actions on doing what we want to do without taking the time to think about how God wants us to spend our time.
Have you ever forgotten to think carefully about a choice you were making? (Children respond.) God always gives us a choice. The people of Jerusalem had to choose between giving up or being strong and doing the work. They had to choose between focusing on themselves or God.
3. Who do you think gave the people strength to finish the temple? (God’s Spirit) God told Haggai to tell the people that He was with them to strengthen them. The prophet Zechariah told the people their strength to make right choices would come not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit. His Spirit will help you be strong and make good choices, too. Before making a choice, be sure to stop and ask yourself, “Will this please God? Will this point others to Jesus?”
CHRIST CONNECTION God sent Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to make good choices. Over 500 years after Haggai gave God’s message to the people about their choices, Paul prayed for the people to make good choices. He knew wonderful things happen when we make choices that please God. Let’s check it out.
TELLING HAGGAI’S STORY, cont’d.
Colossians 1:10-‐14 (Living Bible) So ever since we first heard about you we have kept on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; asking him to make you wise about spiritual things; 10 and asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better.
ASK Do you think the choices we make today are important to God? (Yes.) What are some examples of choices you make that are important to God? (Children respond.)
HAGGAI CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Haggai 1:1-15Use these verses to complete the puzzle.
Name _____________________________________________
1
2
3 4 5
6 7
8 9
10
11
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia
ACROSS
2 The word of the Lord came to
___________.
4 Build the ________, that I make take
pleasure in it.
6 Haggai was a ___________.
8 The word of the Lord came by
Haggai to Zerubbabel, governor of
__________.
10 Thus says the Lord of Hosts,
"Consider your _______!"
11 The word of the Lord came by
Haggai in the second year of King
________.
DOWN
1 You have sewn much and bring in
_________.
3 The Lord stirred up the _________
of the people.
5 I am with you, says the _______.
7 The people _________ the voice of
God.
8 The word or the Lord came by
Haggai to ________, the high priest.
9 They came and worked on the
_______ of the Lord of hosts, their
God.
WORD BANK: HAGGAI, PROPHET, WAYS, TEMPLE, OBEYED, LORD,JUDAH, JOSHUA, DARIUS, LITTLE, SPIRIT, HOUSE.
HAGGAI WORD SEARCH
Name ____________________________________________
Haggai 1:1-15Find the words in the grid. Words can go across and down only.
M M L D L G D V H C M P N S W
E O O L V L A L A O K L W P D
S N B V M T R O G N L D A I C
S T E O P K I R G S X T Y R J
A H Y I R H U D A I Q K S I L
G R E C P K S V I D S I X T H
E M D E T W O R D E M Y K M R
T E M P L E P D K R D D W W L
Y M P R E S E N C E R Q Y V T
E P G L O R I F I E D W T Y D
A R K X L Z G R M H O S T S A
R K I N G L G N R Q Y O U R Y
W R S E C O N D W K H T Y G L
Z T D T R P P R O P H E T N T
L G O D K N K X Y K F I R S T
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia
CONSIDER
DARIUS
DAY
FIRST
GLORIFIED
GOD
HAGGAI
HOSTS
KING
LORD
MESSAGE
MONTH
OBEYED
PRESENCE
PROPHET
SECOND
SIXTH
SPIRIT
TEMPLE
VOICE
WAYS
WORD
YEAR
YOUR